REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: April 25, 2023

SKAGARACK – s/t

There is a train of thought in rock circles that no matter what type of modern popular music you name, Sweden and Swedish bands do it better. You have to admit, they are pretty good at the old rock n’ roll thing. This is Skagaracks first album, released in ’86 and it is an AOR fans wet dream. Great songs, well written and played, with a killer production.

Opening track Move It In The Night is my favourite right from the get go. Killer song with superb harmonies and a hook and chorus to die for. I’m Alone would have been huge if say, Brian Adams did it. Saying is just superb, why this band weren’t huge I do not know. Great hook and chorus, and the solo is awesome. If they were American, things may have been a whole lot different. Damned Woman ends Side 1 and after the initial guitar riff that I am sure i’ve heard before, the song feels all ethereal and a bit like a hymn.

Side 2 kicks off with Don’t Turn Me Upside Down. A huge keys intro before the main guitar riff drives the song along. The hook and chorus are huge and Journey would have been proud of this one. Great guitar at the intro to Lies with a huge Foreigner vibe to the song. Victim Of The System has the same groove and vibe as Holy Diver at the intro. It’s ballad time with City Child and the album closes out with Double Crossed, and we go out with a bang. A Rainbow style riff and a gallop groove, it’s the heaviest sounding track on the album.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

VOI VOD – Angel Rat

There is no doubt that Voi Vod has had a huge influence on some of today’s biggest Prog metal bands. They are known for bringing lots of strange outside elements and mixing it with more traditional metal values. Possibly Quebec’s greatest export to the world of rock for sure, this is the bands sixth album, released back in ’91.

After the brief and weird intro we burst into the quite straightforward Panorama with its killer riff and groove. Clouds In My House is a wonderful amalgamation of styles. Punk, New Wave, Metal, and hints of Rush all spring to mind while listening to this awesome song. That new wave vibe seeps on into The Prow, until we get to the middle eight where the groove and vibe changes into something more sinister and cool. Best Regards is driven along by a great sounding bass groove, and I love the way the main riff just chops away and again the middle section and instrumental pieces are just superb. Twin Dummy has a split psych, punk, metal crossover groove going down and this is what Voi Vod do so well. Side 1 closes out with the title track and you have to wonder if grunge was having an effect on the band as the vibe is very Seattle.

Side 2 kicks off with Golem and that huge clear bass sound and musicality that King Crimson would be proud of. The Outcast has (for Voi Vod) a quite straight forward heavy riff and groove. Nuage Fractal has a huge post punk feel, very reminiscent of some of Magazines output with added Prog weirdness. Freedom has a laid back vibe and is like nothing else on the album, that is until they turn on the amps. The album closes out with None Of The Above, and those Rush vibes are creeping in again.

There is no one like Voi Vod, and long may it be so.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.